Synopsis

Dear readers, Good Evening! In an unfortunate incident, a MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed on Tuesday night in Rajasthan but the thankfully the pilot of the aircraft managed to eject safely. Also, as India began its eighth term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, it sent a veiled message to the West that concerns and allegations over the use of chemical weapons in Syria should be addressed through consultation among all concerned parties, cautioning that "politicisation" of the issue is neither helpful nor productive. It's a strong start!

The CAPFs are not only about guarding the nation, a task though they perform splendidly, they are also adept at pushing the 'swadeshi' economy. The ITBP placed an order worth over Rs 8 crore with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission for procurement of 'khadi durries' or mats for various central paramilitary forces.

The US has welcomed the arrest of Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Pakistan, even as it faced concerns about Iran using drones that can drop munitions and also carry out a "kamikaze" flight when loaded with explosives and fly into a target, according to an American official who spoke to Reuters last year.

Tomorrow, India and France will hold their annual Strategic Dialogue with NSA Ajit Doval, leading the Indian delegation and Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President, leading the French delegation.

India gears up for some advanced homegrown aircraft to hone its fleet

The new Tejas fighter jets will come with AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars, air-to-air refuelling, long-range BVR (beyond visual range) missiles and advanced electronic warfare to jam enemy radars and missiles.

The contracts for 83 indigenous Tejas fighters and 56 medium-transport aircraft through a Tata-Airbus joint venture are set to be inked within the next few months.

The over Rs 37,000 crore order for 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets from defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will be the biggest-ever deal in the indigenous military aviation sector. These 83 fighters, the deliveries of which will begin three years after the contract is inked, will have 43 “improvements” over the 40 Tejas Mark-1 already ordered by the IAF.

The Tata-Airbus project to build 56 twin-turboprop -295 aircraft, which will replace the old Avro-748 aircraft of IAF, in turn, will be the first time an Indian private sector company will enter the defence aerospace arena.

US Navy to provide three 127 medium caliber guns from own inventory to India

In a clear sign of closer military ties between US and India, especially in the middle of the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, the US Navy would be providing three 127 medium caliber guns from its own inventory to urgently equip warships of the Indian Navy as part of a Rs 3,800 crore deal.

Once the production of the new guns starts in America and they are ready to be delivered, the US Navy guns on Indian warships would be replaced by fresh ones.

Also in a sign of times to come, the Indian Navy has developed a very close working relationship with its American counterpart as a majority of the new acquisitions of the force are coming from the US, instead of other traditional partners.

"Expansionist designs" of the Chinese thwarted by Indian air force's posturing

Accusing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of escalating the situation along the border by using unorthodox weapons (like clubs and stones) and mobilisation of troops, the defence ministry said all attempts to change the status quo by force were responded to in a firm manner.

The report noted the significant role played by the air force in ensuring a rapid response, which included the quick deployment of aircraft, choppers and fighters to the Ladakh sector. “The heavy airlift assets of the transport Fleet of IAF proved their mettle by mobilising huge quantum of war waging machinery along with battle-ready troops in the northern sector in quick time frames, thereby altering the dynamics of the force posturing,” it said.

Terming the Chinese actions as “expansionist designs”, the report said Indian troops took pre-emptive action in end-August to occupy strategic heights along the southern bank of Pangong Tso and continue to be deployed there despite harsh weather conditions.

China angered over planned Taiwan, United States defence talks

China said on Wednesday it would make a "necessary response" to a planned military dialogue between the United States and Chinese-claimed Taiwan, saying it firmly opposed the event.

Democratic Taiwan, claimed by China as its sovereign territory, has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which has ramped up military activity near the island.

China urges the United States to "immediately stop any form of official exchanges and military links with Taiwan, to avoid further damaging stability in the Taiwan Strait and Sino-U.S. relations", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

GK Snapshots

1. India launches 40th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica from Mormugao Port, Goa

2. PM Narendra Modi Virtually Inaugurated National Metrology Conclave 2021

3. Indigenously Designed ballastless tracks to be used for High-Speed RRTS trains

4.PM virtually inaugurates Kochi-Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline

5. Interest Rates for Small Savings Schemes for 4th Quarter of 2020-21 Remains Unchanged

6. General MM Naravane Visits Republic of Korea for 3 days; Received Guard of Honour at Gyeryong, South Korea

7. India’s Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2021 New Year’s Honours list

8. India sets up High-Level Group headed by Ram Vinay Shahi for South Asia Energy Security

9. Ramesh Pokhriyal lays Foundation stone of ‘TiHAN Foundation’ – India’s 1st Testing Platform for Autonomous Navigation Systems

10. World’s first wooden satellite to be launched by Japan in 2023 to reduce space Junk

11. Anil Panachooran, Malayalam Poet and Lyricist Passed Away at 55

12. Former Mali PM Modibo Keita Passed Away at 78